Tobacco spreader



Aug. 22, 1944. R. E. ROSLER TOBACCO SPREADER Filed June 14, 1959 ATTOK/VE/ Patented Aug. 22, 1944 TOBACCO SPREADER RichardErich RiislenDresden, Germany; vested in the Alien Property. Custodian Application. June 14, 1939, Serial No. 279,073 In Germany June 27, 1938 8 Claims. (Cl. 131-109) pack or jam against this plate, particularly at its edge adjacent the pin roller.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages arising from this construction.

According to the present invention the scraper is disposed angularly over the pin roller with its upper portion overhanging the charge of tobacco in the feed hopper and the inner end of the scraper is provided with a curved lip or spade portion adapted to receive the tobacco entrained 'by the pin roller and to substantially shear off the charge of'tobacco at the outer. ends of the pins of the roller so as to provide a desired thin layer; of tobacco on the periphery of the roller and also, to deflector guide upwardly and backwardly the excess mass of moving tobacco adjacent the pinroller so that this excess amount of tobacco is, kept in motion and caused to fall back from the inclined surface of .the plate into themass or chargeof tobacco in the hopper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction obtaining these advantages and which can be incorporated in the usual tobacco spreader structure. so thatithe other parts of the apparatus do not have to. be rearranged or reconstructed to obtain the advantages of thisinvention.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, theinvention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views;

Thesingle figure is an'end elevation of a tobacco spreader equipped vwith a scraper mechanism constructed according to the present invention, internal parts being shown in phantom lines.

Referring'nowto the drawing, l2 designates the body portion or frameof the machine and in which-is disposed-afeed hopper having a downwardly curved bottom wall 1, s de Walls 2', anda rear wall 3 hinged at 4 in the usual manner. and connected at its upper end to a crank rod'5. The rod 5 is caused to reciprocate by-a suitable gearing l3 to which the rod is connected in the usual manner. The rear wall 3 is thus caused to vibrate.

andmaintain the chargeof. tobacco in the hopper in loose condition so that it may. flow freely into engagement against the peripheral surface of the pin roller 6. Cooperating with the pin roller 5 isa peg roller 1 adapted to take off and fluff the tobacco particles orfibers which are carried upon the pins of the roller 6 and to free the fluffed tobacco so that it may fall or gravitate into the chute I4 which leads to the tobacco rod form ng mechanism of themachine. The pin'roller 6 is operated-by suitable gearing !5 supported in the frame l2 and one of the gears 53 is provided with an eccentric pin it to which the link It is connected, the link Ill at its other end being pivoted to a lever I! to reciprocate the latter. The lever I! has its lower end curved and pivotally mounted upon the shaft 8 of the pin roller 5 so that the lever extends upwardly and backwardlyfrom the roller 6 at an angle to a radius thereof.

The scraper blade 9 is supported on the upper end of the lever and projects down into the tobacco hopper in substantially the same angular relation as the lever to the pin roller 6 so that the upper end of the plate Bis inclined upwardly and backwardly within the hopper so as to overhang the charge of tobacco therein. The lower end of the inclined plate 9 is provided with a rearwardlycurved lip l I providing a combined cutter and guide which terminates at substantially a tangent to the roller 6 and at the outer ends of the pins of the roller. The lip ll. faces rearwardly so as to receive the oncoming tobacco which is carried by the roller 6 to divide the mass of tobacco intoa thin film equal substantially to the depth of the pins on the roller 6 which is free to pass beneath the lip H. The remaining entrained mass of tobacco is carried forward by the turning of the roller 6 and isforced upwardly over the curved lip l I and against the inclined plate fromv which the tobacco falls loosely back into the mass of tobacco in the hopper.

The. mass of tobacco T is thus kept in loose condition and-is also constantly agitate-d by the vibration of the rear wall 3 and also by themovement of the scraper 9, which forms the front wall of the hopper, and further by the inclination of the scraper 9 which tumbles or rolls the tobacco raised on the lip I l-backinto the tobacco mass:

Of course the angle of inclination'ofthe scraper plate 9 may be varied to suit different conditions and forms of the tobacco so as to obtain the desired results. This improved structure of scraper prevents the clogging of the passage between the scraper and the pin roller and insures the free, even and steady feeding of a layer of the tobacco over the surface of the pin roller to substantially the depth of the pins and quickly and easily removes without appreciable resistance the excess amount of tobacco entrained by the roller and which is of greater height than the pins.

In operation the scraper 9 is reciprocat-ed through the link H1 and lever I! of the scraper so that there is a shearing or spade action of the curved lip I 1 against the oncoming mass of tobac-,

co carried by the roller 6. The division of the mass of tobacco is thus easily accomplished without undue resistance and there is no danger of the tobacco becoming compacted against the scraper blade and the tobacco is maintained rela- 1. In a tobacco spreader of the type involving a hopper for receiving a loose mass of tobacco,

and a pin roller, means mounting said pin roller, a lever mounted substantially on the axis of said pin roller, said lever being formed to project above said pin roller and rearwardly with respect to the axis of the pin roller, a scraper bladedepending from said lever and occupying a plane substantially parallel to the major portion of the lever above the pin roller, the lower end of said blade adjacent the pin roller being formed to provide a scoop curved toward the pin roller in a rearward direction away from said yoke so as to define a terminal edge disposed sufliciently close to the surface of the pin roller in the approach position of the scoop to limit the thickness of the tobacco entrained on the roller to substantially the depth of the pins thereon and scoop the excess tobacco away from the roller, and means for rocking said lever as the pin roller is turned to oscillate said terminal edge in rearward and forward directions.

2. A tobacco spreader according to "claim I wherein the lever has a lower portion curvedup wardly and away from its pivotal axis in a forward direction and its upper portion substantially straight, the said upper portion normally occupying a position rearwardly of'the axis of the pin roller.

3. In a tobacco spreader of the type involving a hopper for receiving a loose mass of tobacco,

a pin roller in the hopper, and a reciprocating.

pivot means mounting the lower end of said'end- Wall at a point close to the periphery of the pinroller and circumferentially spaced from the scraper blade a distance less than a semi-circle, and separate means for rocking said scraper blade and said end wall. l A

4. In a tobacco spreader of the type involving a hopper for receiving a loose mass of tobacco, a pin roller in the hopper, and a reciprocating scraper blade working relative to the surface of the roller for limiting the thickness of the tobacco entrained on the pins of the roller for discharge from the roller beyond the scraper blade, and an end wall on said hopper swingable toward and away from the pin roller tp keep the tobacco in the hopper in a loose condition and periodically move the tobacco toward the roller, pivot means mounting the lower end of said end wall at a point close to the periphery of the pin roller and circumferentially spaced from the scraper blade a distance less than a semi-circle,

and separate means for rocking said scraper blade and said end wall, said end wall being upwardly curved in a direction away from its pivotal point and the adjacent side of the roller.

5. In a tobacco spreader of the type involving a hopper forreceiving a loose mass of tobacco, a pin roller in the hopper, and a reciprocating scraper blade working relative to the surface of the roller for limiting the thickness of the tobacco entrained on the pins of the roller for discharge from the roller beyond the scraper blade, and an end wall on said'hopper swingable toward and away from the pin roller to keep the tobacco in the hopper in a loose condition and periodically move the tobacco toward the roller, pivot means mounting the lower end of said end wall at a point close to the perpihery of the pin roller and circumferentially spaced from the scraper blade a distance less than a semi-circle, and separate means for rocking said scraper blade and said end wall, said scraper blade working relative to an extreme upper portion of the surface of the pin roller, and said pivot means being located at a lower, laterally displaced point with respect to said extreme upper portion of the surface of the roller.

6. In a tobacco spreader of the type involving a hopper to receive a loose mass of tobacco, a pin roller mounted across the hopper, a scraper reciprocable in a generally circumferential direction with respect to an upper portion of the surface of the pin roller so as to thin the tobacco entrained on the pins of the roller asthe roller turns in a direction toward the scraper, and an end wall on the hopper swingable toward and away from the roller to loosen tobacco in the hopper and move tobacco periodically toward the roller at the approach side of said scraper, 'said hopper having a substantial portion of its bottom curved into closely spaced relation with the lower portion of the pin roller, pivot means swingably connecting the lower end of said end wall of the hopper at the upper end of the curved bottom portion of the hopper close to the periphery of the roller, and separate means for coordinately operating said scraper and said end wall. V

'7. A tobacco spreader according to claim 6 wherein the point at which the lower end of said end wall is pivoted is circumferentially spaced from the scraper relative to the roller at a distance less than a semi-circle; l i

8. A tobacco spreader according to claim 6 wherein the point at which the lower end of said end wall is pivoted is circumferentially' spaced from the scraper relative to the roller at a distance less than a semi-circle, and wherein said end wall is curved upwardly from its pivotal point in a direction away from the adjacent side of the pin roller. cx

RICHARD ERICHV RGSLEIt. 

